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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. can — to be able to
  4. stock — goods
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. content — the amount
  10. can — a tin
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. game — wild animals
  13. chip — for betting
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. key — the most important part
  16. stock — shares
  17. key — in music
  18. chip — to eat
  19. foot — a measure
  20. game — a match
  21. content — happy
  22. key — for a lock
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. wax — in the ear

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com